Courtyard by Marriott Austin - University Area

This Marriot offers a pleasant, well-rounded experience. Guests can start the day with complimentary in-room coffee, followed by room service or a meal at the hotel's Courtyard Café. While the sun sets, they can relax in the on-site cocktail lounge or do a few laps in the outdoor pool. The expanded accommodations here fall somewhere between traditional hotel rooms and suites. All include seating areas, work desks and a little more elbow room than usual. The rooms are linked with interior corridors, keeping outside noise to a minimum. The hotel is located three miles north of the University of Texas and downtown. It is near several top-name eateries, including Pappadeaux Seafood, Pappasito's Cantina and Texas Land and Cattle. All are open for lunch and dinner.

When contemplating the origins of the best vodkas, places such as the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Finland and other chilly climes come to mind. So what's a top vodka doing deep in the heart of Texas?

On the bottle of this inventive brew, you'll find a hand-scrawled "Weedwacker" label hastily pasted over the word "Lawnmower" — an allusion to the fact that the beer shares a recipe with Saint Arnold's best-selling Fancy Lawnmower.

When contemplating the origins of the best vodkas, places such as the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Finland and other chilly climes come to mind. So what's a top vodka doing deep in the heart of Texas?

On the bottle of this inventive brew, you'll find a hand-scrawled "Weedwacker" label hastily pasted over the word "Lawnmower" — an allusion to the fact that the beer shares a recipe with Saint Arnold's best-selling Fancy Lawnmower.